The last major temblor occurred 160 years ago, a catastrophic geological event that ruptured an astonishing 185 miles of the San Andreas fault. Image showing San Andreas fault USGS Image showing San Andreas fault Image showing San Andreas fault (USGS)SNAP Video The simulated shaking from a possible magnitude-8 earthquake on the San Andreas fault. (Southern California Earthquake Center) The simulated shaking from a possible magnitude-8 earthquake on the San Andreas fault. It also could explain why the southern San Andreas fault has been so quiet since then. The San Andreas fault is 30 miles from downtown Los Angeles, but big earthquakes on the San Andreas fault are expected to heavily shake the nation’s second largest city.

Source: Los Angeles Times March 07, 2017 12:01 UTC